Bullets
by Alabaster Sin
Summary: In apprenticeship, one finds that insomnia is contagious, and inner voices are annoying. slight slash in later chapters
1. Into the Arms

Bullets.

Chapter One: Into the Arms…

A soft rustle was the only thing that betrayed the presence of disturbance. The soft, near-inaudible sound was born from the dark sheets tangled in thin limbs, the owner of the twin appendages rolling from left to right.

He couldn't sleep. Try as he might, Robin couldn't will his body to sink deep into those foreign covers and surrender itself to darkness.

Considering whose covers, whose mattress, whose _bed_ this belonged to, it was only natural, he supposed. It's hard to get to sleep when your pillow was completely covered in the scent of your mortal enemy.

On the other hand, his body was throbbing in numerous places, worn down and reduced to nothing but sheer exhaustion. Even his muscles, used to extreme conditions, couldn't take the day's activities, protesting every little movement. So, in that respect, he should have been out cold.

The Boy Wonder sighed, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling. No matter what should have been, it didn't change his current condition. He still couldn't sleep, trapped in a fit of insomnia.

Trapped by the man that somehow managed to surround and suffocate him without even being in the room. It was frightening.

Hell, _Slade _was frightening. The man was a psychotic enigma, playing off the natural fear of the Unknown within every heart. His determination, obsessiveness, just made it all the worse.

_Hypocrisy, _a voice in the back of his mind hissed, proverbial teeth bared in disgust. _Shunning the qualities of another that you near worship in yourself. _

Robin shook his head furiously, snarling right back at the voice. It wasn't hypocrisy. The traits shared names, but were completely different.

He would fight to his last breath, yes, but for justice. For what was right. Slade would never stop, resort to anything (as he had proved in forcing apprenticeship on the boy) to gain a means to his dark ends.

_And what of Red X? _came that same traitorous whisper. _You tossed everything you held dear away, and rather easily._

For information, a way to track down and finally defeat--

_For Slade._

No, that made it sound… near romantic. No it wasn't for the man himself, but a means to overcome him. A way to strip him of that enigmatic aura and expose him as nothing more than another mortal man.

_'Resort to anything to gain a means…'_

But it was justified!

_So playing the part of tragic hero automatically justifies broken trust and broken hearts? Those mean nothing then?_

Yes. …No. I don't know! Robin was frowning, scowling at his inner self, and the other part of him that couldn't seem to hold up the argument. His eyes slid shut, in defiance squeezed tight, hands coming up to shield his face. The entire sight was reminiscent of a child trying to block out reality, block out that something that frightened him and made him call out for that ever-comforting presence dubbed 'mother'.

But there was no mother now. He was alone, and the only other living creature here (or so he assumed) was one he didn't care to seek out for comfort.

The raven-haired boy nearly laughed out loud at the mental image the previous thought conjured: Padding out of the room to find the elder man, crawling into his lap like a sleepless son to his father and letting all the Bad be soothed away.

_And what, exactly, is so wrong with that? _Again that little voice probed his thoughts, throwing things into light that he didn't care to think of.

"Everything." he whispered to the dark, jolting a little to realize he had spoken aloud. Not only that, but it was the realization that he had allowed his mind to wander, his guard had been down during that entire internal argument, and Slade, Slade could be right there, watching, ready to pounce--

_But he's not. You know it. You can feel it._

I can, he mused, steadily relaxing once more into the pillows. How, he couldn't say, but he still knew.

_Perhaps we are like him. You know when he's there and not, you've been acting like him. Even starting to think like he does, ideals tossed away for an opportunity--_

Shut UP!

Sound echoed off the walls, punctuated by heavy breathing. Thin fingers gripped the blankets pooled around him, knuckles turned white.

It was impossible to tell whether he was aware he had shouted or not, because in an instant he was out of the bed and forcing himself into his newly-supplied uniform of blacks and deep oranges.

He was out the door then, boots thinking against the hard surface of the hall floor. He wasn't sure where exactly he was headed, or what he would do once he got there. All he knew was that he needed to move, needed to run and get away from that voice and those thoughts that were so terribly true. He needed to get somewhere, anywhere.

He could have laughed then, as he collided with something very much solid and felt himself taken into gravity's hands. He was laughing when that fall was suddenly stopped, arms catching him and saving him a few unneeded bruises.

He had needed to be somewhere, and here he was. Even if it was in the arms of his enemy.

To be continued.

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Author's notes: Hooray, I finally typed up something I wrote to put into my fan fiction account. Do a little dance! Originally, this was only supposed to be a one-shot, Robin's insomniac musings only a few paragraphs. However, it grew from there, and will now be multi-chaptered.

Hurrah.

And yes, this is an eventual Slade x Robin. Also with a little surprise towards the end. X3 So, review, if you would? Flames me no likey, but I'm trying to improve my writing so constructive criticism is loved. Au revoir for now!


	2. Hate You With All My Heart

Bullets

Chapter 2: Hate You With All My Heart.

Love and hatred are very closely related. Sometimes they are even one and the same. Both require that one mind cares deeply for another, enough to notice nearly every move the second makes.

Love requires the same obsession as another. You need to think about another to kill them just as much as you do to make love to them.

Sometimes the line between the two is so foggy, so grey, that one believes they are in love when they can't stand the other person. They can believe they hate a person but are truly in love.

Such is the tragedy, the fickle little dance our emotions play, the waltz most erratic in these awkward teen years when hormones run rampant.

However, this was not one of those times. The line was not pale grey, it was a bold black. Love was clearly separate from hate, and concerning Slade, Robin was quite sure that the scales tipped in Hatred's favour.

It was impossible to mistake the way his chest constricted, how his throat went dry and all he could do was hiss out one word in a poisonous growl.

That was hatred, wasn't it?

Still, despite the way he felt that white hot fury welling up every time he looked into that single foggy-grey eye, Robin couldn't will himself to pull out of the iron grip the elder held him in, even after the Boy Wonder's balance had been regained.

They stood like that for a good while, before Robin gathered his wits once more and broke out of the other man's hold like a caged bird set free.

There was a low sound then, and the Boy's lip curled in a snarl when he realized the deep noise was the elder laughing.

"Desperate, are we?"

"Says the man who holds a teenager hostage."

This comment, meant to wound pride only seemed to amuse Slade further.

"It's not desperation, but running blind through an unknown compound is. Did you panic in the dark?"

"Considering there's only about two lights in this place and it's YOU? Yeah, I think anyone sane would panic a little. I mean, what are you, a vampire?"

"No. Just a solar-challenged werewolf."

Robin stared, speechless for a moment. Well, first time a bad guy cracked a halfway decent joke, there. Joker didn't count, his jokes were always bad. Finally, he managed to find his voice.

"Insomniac, too. You're just an all-around winner, aren't you?"

"Says the boy who obsesses over said winner."

Robin snarled then, lashing out and slamming the other against the wall.

"I don't obsess over you. I loathe you. I want nothing more than for you to disappear."

"Well, you can join the club. I think meetings are every other Wednesday."

Slade pushed the smaller away then, turning his back and moving to disappear into the shadows once more.

Not caring to be left lost and alone, the younger male followed after the elder, into recesses unknown.

Down halls and past doors they went, Robin's eyes flicking left and right, trying to create a mental map for later reference. (He highly doubted the man walking before him would be kind enough to escort him back to his room.)

The Boy Wonder squinted his eyes as they were suddenly assaulted with light, the two having stepped into a cavernous room.

Shadows clung to the corners the incredibly bright spotlights couldn't touch, hiding any companions they may have had from the teen's view.

Once he regained a semblance of his vision back, he turned his attention to where they villain once stood. Finding the space empty, he felt his blood turn icy for the fraction of a moment it took for him to relocate the elder.

Slade stood at the far end of the room, back to the younger and arms folded behind his back.

The boy slowly approached, caution keeping him from attacking.

_Caution, of course._ The traitorous voice in his head mused. Robin told it to shut up. As he neared Slade, light stung his eyes again, making him squint before the light became an image he could recognize. Four different screens of four different blood streams, all tainted by little nano-machines.

"Ensuring your loyalty, my bird." Slade spoke, turning to face him. He held out one hand, a device in the palm, his fingers curled around a button.

"Why?" Robin bit out, hands curling into fists.

"Leverage, my dear boy. With your precious friends' lives in the balance, you'll do exactly as I say. If not, then." Slade made a gesture to the detonation device, unspoken words ringing loud in the Boy's ears.

_So are you going to play here? Defy him and risk their lives? STARFIRE'S life? Can you bear to lose her? Or is it you don't care? That you really lo-_

SHUT. UP.

Robin shook himself, eyes narrowing in a glare. He couldn't read the expression the elder held from behind the mask he wore, but he was certain he was amused.

"Second thoughts already, bird?"

"Shut up."

Slade chuckled, the device vanishing into a place Robin couldn't see nor had any hope of finding. He was Slade's puppet, his slave. He grimaced, refusing to let his mind call him Slade's apprentice. He would _never_ become that psycho's apprentice.

Never.

Slade moved closer, faster than Robin could react, the younger finding his chin caught in an iron grip and his eyes forced to meet Slade's.

Master, the voice in his head hissed. Robin struggled, whether it was against the man or that inner voice, he wasn't sure. But he found himself spun around, his back pressed to the other's sternum. His hands were pinned to his own chest by the larger's, their cheeks pressed together.

"No struggles, little apprentice. One wrong move, and your friends will fight their last battle."

Robin had no choice but to relax, ignoring the traitorous voice deep in his mind. He ignored the way Slade's body was pressed to his, ignored the way his body burned and how cold he felt when the madman pulled away.

"What do you want me to do, Slade?" His voice came out a growl, and he was only slightly taken back when Slade began to chuckle.

"For starters, call me 'Master'. As for the rest, I will let you know."

Slade approached again, taking hold of Robin's arm and leading the boy to a different area of the room. Robin half-listened to the mission briefing, eyes on the screens showing his best friends' blood streams.

He'd go along for now, and when the opportunity of freedom rose…

He'd take it.

Without a second thought.


	3. Judas' angel

Bullets Chapter 3

Robin was suffering. He hid it well beneath the mask of loathing and hatred, but confusion causing that mask to slip.

It had felt _good_ to fight is friends on top of the Wayne building, and despite his reluctance, he had been overcome with joy when he'd been told to use his laser weapon. The high he had felt then disappeared when Slade had activated the nano-machines, and suddenly returned when he fought his friends when Slade turned the nano-machines off.

He lay now on his bed, sore from the beating his body had endured earlier, and exhausted from analyzing his thoughts. His feelings were chaotic, and with each passing moment, he grew more aware of why they were. He jerked his body, growling into the sheets, fists pounding his pillow. What was _wrong_ with him? He shouldn't be liking his captor! He should be focusing on getting away, with his friends intact!

But his mind was focused on his master-

Slade.

Robin's eyes shot open, wide in disbelief. He sat up, the heel of his right hand pressing against his forehead. He'd never called Slade his 'master', not even in his head. Never.

He was changing. _Changing_.

He was confused, his obsession had turned into lo-

No. Robin shook his head vehemently. Whatever he was feeling, it certainly wasn't _love_.

Was it?

Unable to comprehend the 'why' of how he felt, the Boy Wonder slid off his bed and left his room, hoping a walk would clear his mind. He wasn't sure why he found himself in the brightly-lit room of days before, or why he was suddenly aware of Slade's presence near-by. He turned his head, seeing the man seemingly materialize out of the shadows. In an instant, they were standing facing each other, Robin looking up and Slade looking down, no words exchanged.

That was another thing that confused the younger. They seemed to understand each other's thoughts without needing words, so attuned to the other none were needed.

Slade's hand came to rest on Robin's neck, gentle and warm, something the boy felt the elder wasn't capable of. Still, Robin didn't jerk like he had so many times before, his eyes closing in acceptance.

The word was just on his lips, about to be said, when a loud explosion interrupted them. They jerked apart, their eyes on the intruders, the orbs narrowed in contempt. Or at least Slade's eye was. Robin's were wide in amazement. There stood his friends, all ready to fight Slade to free him.

A sudden urge overcame the boy to side with his friends, denial surging though his system. They fought Slade, side by side, Robin feeling as though Slade was taking amusement from this. The Boy saw the trigger pressed, and his friends began to glow with their impending deaths. Only one thing left to do.

Robin ignored Slade's command and dove into the container of nano-machines, an explosion following his infection. He was in pain, so much of it, and the expression in the elder's eye held an emotion Robin refused to name. He was sure his eyes reflected that same emotion, but he couldn't acknowledge it. Slade only reluctantly turned the nano-machines off, and let them go. Robin could feel the elder's eye boring into his back, as though the man was telling him he'd be back.

Robin didn't respond, didn't return the look. After Cyborg had cleaned their systems of the nano-machines, Robin moved to be alone. He felt tears welling and rubbed his eyes with the back of his gloved hand.

You didn't cry for your enemy.

And you certainly didn't fall in love with him.

Robin frowned, calming himself enough to pass for normal as Starfire, the Tameranian girl just concerned, joined him for him. Robin was disgusted with the way she clung to him, and barely resisted the urge to push her away. That would only raise suspicions. As Starfire looked away, smiling, Robin allowed a grin of his own.

His master would be pleased.

Very pleased, indeed.

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He was aware of the presence behind him before the boy announced himself, Slade already half turned to face his young apprentice. A smirk played on his lips, though it went unseen from behind his mask.

Robin came to a halt before him, his face serious. They remained silent until Slade turned his back to the boy, and the smaller moved to stand beside him. They looked down over the city together, side by side.

"It's usually the master that looks for the apprentice, not the other way around." Slade spoke dryly, his eye on the boy beside him.

Robin gave a shrug. "I wanted to find you."

"Did you finally get tired of the Titans?"

"Yes." The word was hissed and had Slade smiling.

"So you sought me out. What do you have in mind then, bird?"

There was silence as Robin reached up, untying the mask he wore around his face and pulling it away. It was almost ceremonial, Robin holding the black cloth away from his face, over the side of the building they were standing on. A tilt of his hand, and the material slid off, floating to the crowded street below to be trampled. Symbolic.

And Slade so enjoyed symbolism.

Robin turned to him then, blue orbs staring into a grey one. Slade understood what the boy had done; the Robin the Titans knew had been killed. The Robin that was his apprentice lived.

"I'll need a new name."

Both of their eyes were fixed on the forms moving over the streets below, like so many tiny ants completely unaware of the ones watching them. Unaware that these were no longer loving souls. Not in a long time for one, and just recently for another.

It seemed only fitting then, that a name of innocence was stripped away for something darker. Slade's own had become a curse years ago, it was time for the boy's own to have that same hissing quality when spoken by others. Contempt, anger… an element of fear.

The elder felt himself smile then, the eye not missing narrowing a bit in amusement. Vengeance is what brought both this boy and his former caretaker into this realm of secrets and blood. Vengeance is what drove him, under the guise of righteous justice. An angel fighting for a demon's purpose.

"Arioch."

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Alternate smuttier ending soon to be uploaded onto an adultfanfiction account of the same name. Those of you who enjoy that, do check it out sometime.

Thanks go to my muse, who assisted me with these chapters where I began to have a block.


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